G2 can be a lead generation goldmine for your B2B SaaS company if your product description communicates what you do and why prospects should choose you instead of your competitors.
That’s because leads coming from G2 tend to convert into sales quicker than those from another source– since they’ve already read your reviews and compared you to competitors, they’re more likely to be ready to buy. (HockeyStack, 2024)
In a time where converting B2B leads feels like a sack race against the competition, G2 is a reliable sales enablement material, providing a competitive advantage to B2B SaaS companies willing to take it.
And that’s where the problem lies. Most B2B SaaS companies don’t seem to be willing to take that opportunity. Most companies still fill out their G2 profile overview- the first place the reader learns about you, with poor messaging and unclear copy.
- Pick any SaaS product category right now (ERP, for example).
- Search the category on G2
- Analyze the top 10 products.
I would bet that only a handful have a clear and compelling description of what they do.
As Peep Laja would say, most B2B SaaS websites completely ignore differentiation and communicate as if they are the only players in the market.
The lack of differentiation is the lack of innovation. And without innovation, it becomes unclear why a customer should choose you instead of your competitor.
I recently experienced this firsthand while researching podcast hosting software on G2. I found several software options with product overviews that would make me scroll away faster than I arrived:
Let me share two examples:
Examples of Poor G2 Product Description Copywriting
Example 1: A G2 product description weakened by superlative interpretation
This product overview reads: ‘[Product name] is the easiest podcasting software for hosting, promoting, and tracking your podcast.’
That’s a good start – it gets me interested as a buyer.
But the next question is, ‘what makes you the easiest podcasting software?’
What does it even mean to be the ‘easiest’ way to host, promote, and track my podcast?
Are you suggesting the next product is the “most difficult”?
Unfortunately, the product description fails to answer these questions. It just makes a claim and leaves the potential buyer guessing whether that claim is true or false.
You might say this without much thought. It might even be true. Or it could be how you talk about your product internally. But the reader’s brain would interpret it differently.
The reader would think that if you’re the easiest software, it means there are podcasting products that are “difficult” or “more difficult” to use. They will think that way because describing your product with superlative adjectives such as “easiest”, “fastest”, etc., would always put your product in a constant state of comparison. It’s the nature of those words. And when that happens, you automatically owe the reader an explanation of why you’re different.
Sadly, you’d never really be able to justify why you’re the easiest product for a task because superlative interpretation is mostly subjective. It’s like love in the eye of the beholder. And using superlatives without backing them up with proof is a red flag for many buyers.
So, to avoid that trap, you can say, “[Product name] makes it easy for XYZ people to do ABC],” and you’d be fine.
The example above suggests the software lacks a unique differentiator, which can prevent the reader from considering that product.
Example 2: A G2 product description focused on the company, not the customer
‘[Product name] is a one-of-a-kind tool for asynchronous audio podcasting.‘
Okay, what does it mean to be “one-of-a-kind”?
You can’t be a “one-of-a-kind” product if you have the same features as the next product and solve the same problem– which is what this podcasting software does.
What’s worse is saying you’re a “one-of-a-kind” tool and then following up with ‘we are a technology startup based in Paris.‘ There’s a huge disconnect there. Are you saying you’re one-of-a-kind because you’re based in Paris?
B2B buyers have limited the time to discover (not “find”) a reason to buy from you. If you don’t spell it out– if you don’t enable them, they will go to someone who will.
Being based in Paris and working with startups and media companies is not a reason to buy from you. What you do for me, the problems you solve, and the pain you take away are why I’ll choose you.
If your G2 product overview leaks leads because you are not effectively communicating your value proposition, there’s good news! I’ll explain a simple and practical product copywriting structure for writing G2 product overviews that stops scrolling and drives clicks:
- Say what your product does: Clearly describe your product’s core function, who it helps, and how it helps them.
- Say how it does it: Briefly explain how your product achieves what it does. What’s the mechanism driving your product’s capability?
- Say what makes you different: Because of that core mechanism, what advantage does your product have over similar products in your category?
- Say the benefit the reader would enjoy: Due to that advantage, what are the positive outcomes your customers enjoy–that they might not find elsewhere?
We’ll break down each element in more detail next:
How To Write G2 Product Descriptions That Drive Clicks
Step 1 Say what your product does
Without using adjectives and flowery expressions, say exactly what your product does, who it helps, and how it helps them. Essentially, the first statement must propose a clear value. It should follow the following train of thought:
Our product performs X function for Y people so that they can achieve Z.
You want to shape your product value statement that way because it answers the fundamental question every inbound sales touchpoint must answer.
What’s the question?
“If I am your ideal customer, why should I buy from you, rather than any of your competitors?”
They won’t say it out loud. They won’t phrase it that way too. However, the moment a potential customer arrives at your inbound sales touchpoint (LinkedIn profile, G2 overview, Landing page, service page, etc.), they want to answer one question: “Why should I buy from you?” almost instantly.
Following the framework above ensures your G2 profile description answers that question in the first statement as clearly as possible. That’s because the framework is structured to help readers understand why they should buy.
Prospect asks: If I am your ideal customer, why should I buy from you rather than any of your competitors?”
Your G2 product description says: You should buy from us BECAUSE you will achieve Z.
Z, in that context, should be a measurable and quantifiable benefit.
Therefore, a time management software might say, “you should buy from us BECAUSE you will save 40 hours weekly.”
Describe how your product achieves the promised value
When you say your time management software helps business executives save 40 hours weekly, you must describe the mechanism that allows you to achieve that promise. Otherwise, your copy lacks trust– the element of believability, which is the currency of the internet.
I won’t believe you if you cannot tell me exactly how you achieve 24-hour shipping in a market where 48 hours is the norm. It sounds more like a scam than a genuine proposition of value.
The first statement hits the reader’s epicentre of appeal. But now, can you strike their epicentre of trust? Can you prove to the reader that you’ve developed a fail-proof process that enables them to achieve the promised value consistently.
To do that, your train of thought in the second step should look like this:
Step 1:
– Why should I buy from you?
– You should buy from us instead of our competitor BECAUSE you will save 40 hours weekly.
Step 2:
– How do you do that?
– We combine X and Y technology to enable you to do A and B faster, thus removing the need to do C and D
SEON-FraudFighters, a product that recently saw a 600% increase in free trial clicks from G2, uses this process effectively. Their product overview describes exactly how they leverage an API-first approach to help target customers detect and prevent potential threats before they happen.
Describe what makes your product different
At this stage, the prospect is confident that your product is the right tool for the job. You’ve proposed value; they’ve perceived it. They should click through to your demo page, right? Not so fast.
You see, B2B buyers often have a consideration list where they evaluate a small number of vendors according to criteria such as cost, value, quality, and reference.
Suppose you nailed the first two steps. You’ll probably get on the consideration list, which is great. But you don’t want to stop there.
Knowing that the consideration list helps the buyer compare your product against direct competitors, you have to stay ahead by subtly completing the competitive exercise for them.
You have to enable the prospect to conclude that your product is the best tool for the job by describing your product’s unique advantage– what makes you different.
So now, here’s how that train of thought looks:
Step 1:
– Why should I buy from you?
– You should buy from us instead of our competitor BECAUSE you will save 40 hours weekly.
Step 2:
– How do you do that?
– With us, you will save 40 hours weekly because we combine X and Y technology to enable you to do A and B faster,
Step 3:
With us, you will save 40 hours weekly because we combine X and Y technology to enable you to do A and B faster without needing to do [insert an annoying process that causes pain]
The ability for me, the customer, to achieve your product’s promise (save 40 hours/week) without needing to experience the annoying process that causes pain is your product’s advantage.
The thought process here is, “Now you can achieve X without the annoying Y.”
Again, SEON nails that in their product copy below. They are effectively saying to the customer:
- Because we use an API-first approach that lets you seamlessly onboard customers while proactively monitoring activities and journeys (how they help customers achieve the promised result)
- Your fraud teams can efficiently scale operations without relying on blackbox machine-learning models known for producing false positives and contextless correlations. (the annoying pain the customer will never experience again)
That way, they essentially proclaim their product advantage.
Say the benefit the reader would enjoy
Now, here is something to note:
Your product’s advantage is not your product’s benefit (for X user)
Think about it: the word “advantage” is (always) in a state of comparison (as in the advantage of X OVER Y). Therefore, your product advantage is a specific outcome a specific user gets from your product that they will not get from another.
Product benefit, on the other hand, is the outcome that a specific user will enjoy due to that product advantage.
SEON’s product advantage is that users do not have to deal with false positives and contextless correlations they get from blackbox machine-learning models.
Because SEON customers can NOW get things done without false positives and contextless errors, they will enjoy the benefit of precise pre-fraud prevention and anti-money laundering (AML) solutions that give your business the edge on a global scale. (Still high-level, but you get the point)
So, the relationship between product advantage and product benefit lies in pain and urgency. So, in the last two steps, you practically zone the pain to drive urgency (like “Oh my God we can now do that?”) that leads to action.
3 Examples of G2 Product Descriptions That Drive Clicks
1. ChargeBee generated 280+ leads in one year.
2. Kolleno sees 10x the number of closed-won opportunities.
3. Hospitable boosts leads by 280%
So, to conclude:
A well-written G2 product overview can skyrocket leads and conversion in a short time
Every day a lead sits in the MQL stage is a day your competitor could snatch them up. Having a strong G2 profile is essentially giving yourself a head start in the race against the competition. As you’ve seen, many companies referenced above have product overviews that communicate what they do and why the reader should choose them.
I am not saying they solely achieved this result by writing a product overview– reviews, interactive videos, and downloadable content are great, too. I am saying that a well-written product overview is one of the traits among companies that consistently generate and convert leads from G2. You can be one of them!
Things to note
- Most B2B companies referenced above don’t have these elements arranged in the order I recommend. Although it might be better to follow the sequence– because you’re not actually optimizing the page, you’re optimizing the buyer’s sequence of thought– that’s quite alright. The most important factor is having a product overview copy with two or more heuristics.
- Don’t write like your product’s category leader. Big companies can get away with poor product overviews because they are the category leader. They are the default option. Buyers often choose them when all the smaller products refuse to communicate that they are better clearly.
